Carbon Fiber/LED grab handles

Ok im gonna get stared on some winter projects.
Ive got some goodies in the works. Here is some shots of the latest project. Carbon Fiber grab handles. These handles will have LED lights on the back or under side of the handle where your fingers will wrap around. This is a router template. Im gonna have to get the thicknes correct and then add some shape to the handle. I want them to look close to stock

Sweet! Too bad my boat doesn't have a single handle like that in it.

those are moomba handles if i'm not mistaken.

Close...Nautique. Grant has a SAN.

what's the next step? Wrap with CF?

Im gonna get the thickness of the handle correct and then Im gonna put some shape in the handle and then ill insert the channel for the LED's

Close...Nautique. Grant has a SAN.


nautiques doesn't even use stainless handles?!!? wow, i thought they would splurge on something like that considering the price.

They didn't at the time. Not sure if they still do...I hadn't paid attention to those details in the recent pictures.

"Madchild: I dont think stainless grab handels would match as well as the current handle's. I dont think it's a matter of CC skimping. The handles in the front of the boat are stainless The reason is the tower rests on them so they need to be real stong.

It's a Nautique but not a SAN.

Not sure what is meant by close to Moomba, I don't think it's close?

stir, stir...

Sorry Mikeski...it was sarcasm lost on madchild. If anyone has seen Grant's work, you surely would have seen the "Bling-Bling". I think it's a SAN (sweet A$$ Nautique!!!!)

Eric

No need to apologize (at least not to me), just trying to see if anybody was awake. Maybe get a rise out of a Moomba owner? yes I agree with your interpretation of san as applied to Grant's boat. Still looking forward to seeing/touching it but has not happened yet this summer. Hopefully Grant can make it up to McClure on 10/15.

Mikeski, HEARING it is what I would want.

Got a chance to get back to the handles

So Im just starting to shape the handles. I got kind of caryed away with the curves, LOL But they feel so good in your hand, This handle makes the stock handle look straight. I want the handle to have abit more shape, It also needs to be a tad wider then the stock one so that when I router the space where the LED's are going to fit the handle will still have some strength.

When Im finished with the shape this will be my mold for the other 3 handles.

Grant, by the time you finish all the electrical projects youre doing and have done, you'll need a nuclear powerplant to run your boat.On a clear summer evening when I see a glow in the sky toward the north, I;ll know its your boat cruising...

think of the wake with nuke generator on board

Ill connect all 3 surface mount LED clusters together and router a channel wher the wires can run into and that should do it for my mold. Then I will make the mold and cast 3 handles and then start to get them wraped in Carbon Fiber

man your a god

Hey grant, with all that electronics, does your boat have that electrical generator sound to it (whoom, whoom, whoom)

Grant, thats a pretty cool handle. I would think you could sell them. Or, perhaps CC could offer them as an upgrade.

GD, Im making a mold so I can pop some out. For some reason when I make suff nobody's intrested so I make just enough for myself. But as soon as its finished a few people need some. So ill be ready if some one needs some. As far as CC needing some, 6 months ago I would have said never. But after seeing the New 220 and reading there discription of that boat (They said in its write up "it has all the Bling") LOL I would say mabey. But as far as them getting them from me. No way they will make there own.
P.S wanna see what $120 worth of RTV (The blue mold) looks like .

I was able to pour a few handles last night. They came out great. I only wish they had casting resin in black. I tryed adding black to the resin but it only made a mess and turned the handle grey The white pigmant casting material is very strong

Those are definitley sick!!!

Brilliant idea.

I have a question. Orignally I was thinking of making it so that you could drop or out what ever color LED cluster you wanted Making the cluster removable, if a LED cluster failed you could drop in a new one or change color. But now im thinking of molding the LED cluster into the handle. If The cluster was resin'd into the handle it would be smoother on the back side ect.
I was just wondering what your thoughts were. Is it important to make the handles so that the LED clusters can be changed out???

One thing you might wanna do is backfill the LED clusters with epoxy so that they don't pop back through into the little housing when you grab the handle hard. If you are using the high dollar LED clusters they may be built that way to start with. The LEDS won't fail if they don't move around and break a connection, no need to change them out. Looks very cool so far.

Hey Grant are those LED waterproff?

I think it is important that if a led fails or goes out you can change it easily

As long as the LEDs are current limited properly, they will not go bad. Just check them prior to molding the handle.

These are the type of LED's that im gonna use.

So! Are they Waterproof? Would you like to answer that question?

yes

Grant, You continue to amaze me with the stuff you come up with.

Grant, I think molded in LEDs would be somewhat better. Once you pick a color, I suspect you would rarely change the color. The only negative is you can't easily stock pile handles and LEDs to make any color.

I assume you are able to reuse the blue mold? And more details, lol. What materials? brands? how long? Can you make a video? Sorry, this is a first for me, never seen anybody do this at home.

Very kewl Grant

Hey G,

I bought a ton of leds online. One thing I have noticed is that not all of them are perfect. I think it would be better to be able to remove them and change them out.

Yea with the clusetrs you can test them befor you istall them. Im guessing if they are ok when you install them that they will last.

Anyone have a good source on the LED cluster's

Hey Grant: Anytime you can minimize the seams, cracks, grooves, etc. You will make cleaning easier. Spiders like to nest in tight places as well as those little wormy things that pack mud in crevases. Maybe you don't have those around you ; but here in the midwest we have all sorts of creepy crawley things that get into everywhere.

Yea thats a good point about the crud in the crack's. Im gonna epoxy the lights in the back side of the handles. The handles will be stronger and smoother with the gap's filled. It sounds like the LED clusters are pretty reliable and I wont have a problem with them needing to be changed out. And its not like Im gonna mass produce them.

Grant,

I got my clusters at:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/mini_tubes.htm

THe ones you posted look the same so I'm assuming you are looking for a better vender. But if not they worked out well for me.

I would fill the gaps. Will be cleaner and feel better like you said.

I have been looking for some surface mount LEDs to put along my deck overlooking my dock. These looks interesting. I think I will have to buy a few and see if they would work.

Grant,

Just out of curiosity, why not make the handles a little less angular on the inside edge, then groove them and use strip l.e.d. Then clear epoxy the rest of the groove to make them smooth. I realize you a long way into this project and now is not the time to change. Was just curious if you thought about going that route, and if so why not.

Chris: I was thinking about the LED strip's but after seing how much light they throw out I wanted somthing super "BLING" bright LOL but yes a single LED strip with 4 led's Im sure would work. But that's not how we roll,
I also wanted to copy the stock desighn but make it with just a bit more shape. When the lights are momunted and I add the rest of the epoxy to the hole's it will be pretty smooth under there.
I just orderd some lights today so when they get here Ill light it up and post a pic. Im sure they will be pretty bright.

Charles: Thanks for the hook up with the LED's.

Grant

Any time. Its a shame that Niel is hitting people with such high prices.

Grant

I have some surface mounted led's on a sort of tape. They would be easy to mount on the back side witha small dado cut. They are super bright. I got mine to do the lighted speaker rings. they are kinda spendy but they are super small.

Chas
I couldn't agree more with you on the prices.

Grant you are a multitude of mechanisms.......
I wish we lived closer so you could do my work, alas I will have to pick you r brain when I get ready to bling my ride. First we have to get racks and a heater you know the essentials first.
itch

O.K. Neil Is Now back to a sole propritership, what this means is I am now in charge of pricing, as well as everything else. So from here on out pricing goes back to the way it should be, Cheap, with the best products on the market.

Neil Fett
litupelectronics@gmail.com

Just got finished with the first wrap of carbon fiber. Im gonna do a 2nd wrap and then sink the LED's in

Damn nice grant, now get those lights in.
itch

G! What does the mounting feet look like? Show me the back side!!! Please Please!

Grant,

I don't know exactly what I would do with this, but I thought I'd put it on your radar screen in case is sparks something:

Light Tape

The back side has stud's comming threw the handles with a nut pressed between the handle and the stud head. You cant see where the stud goes into the handle because after I drilled the hole I put the stud in and filled the hole.

The lay up went real nice the weave is nice and straight and I got the carbon fiber to wrap all the way around to the back side.



(Message edited by grant_west on November 15, 2005)

Those look so sick. Mad props

Awesome as usual...

Wow.

I wanted to see how bright the cluster's are so I just set them in the handle to take a look.
All the led's seem to point at the same spot when the handle is close to the mounting surface. It does make a differace with 3 clusters compaired to 1 cluster

We're not worthy!

Dude keep the sweet schite coming - I really enjoy watching the progress on your projects! So fresh n so fresh n clean. Thanks for the posts!

Grant you have the most amazing custom boat.

Not that I could afford it but

How much would it take for me to buy the bling machine?

"How much would it take for me to buy the bling machine"

ONE Milllllieion Dollars

Muuuhaaaaaaaaaa!

Grant what would it take for you guys to come down to TX and do an insane setup in a Donzi ZX. The boats worth about 335,000 and he wants the best stereo and installers


But if your intrested work me up a quote and will get rolling on it.

Neil

Be careful Grant, you might get stuck in Texas.

Neil,

Unless your ready to fly some one out there and back there is no way to quote some thing like that with out going through the boat and talking with the owner.

Already done.

I told Mark the owner of the boat that these guys are the topdogs. Then I showed him some of there work and he was extremely impressed.

I just cleard the handles Im waiting for them to dry and then Ill get them installed

Ok Im finished with the handles they came out great, super happy with them.

very cool final prduct. That Carbon fiber looks great.

Night pictures my boy it's all bout the ladies and the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The night shots didnt turn out very well

I can't really tell how they look from the pictures, I will need another day out on the BLING machine to check them out!!!

Looking good.

Mike

freakin brillant grant just plain freakin brillant.. ........bet a picture from say behind the boat showing the interior would be just sick.
ITCH

DUDE...That's just plain UGLY!!!



J\K..


I know you don't need me to say it's clean to be DOPE!!
To bad my X-2 doesn't have any handles..

Nice work Grant, i do carbon fiber work, it looks like you've got the process down pretty good.

I know how difficult it is to photo led's! I can also imagine what they look like in person. Very nice work - the high gloss finish on the handles is stellar.

Hey Scott: Thanks what exactley do you do with Carbon Fiber